History of Bihar

Introduction
Bihar, the ancient land of Buddha, has witnessed golden period of Indian history. It is the same land where the seeds of the
first republic were sown and which cultivated the first crop of democracy. Such fertile is the soil that has given birth to
innumerous intellectuals which spread the light of knowledge and wisdom not only in the country but in the whole world. The
state has its capital at Patna, which is situated on the bank of the holy river Ganga. The state as it is today has been shaped
from its partition from the province of Bengal and most recently after the separation of the tribal southern region now called
harkhand.

Ancient history
The history of the land mass currently known as Bihar is very ancient. In fact, it e!tends to the very dawn of human
civili"ation. #arliest myths and legends of hinduism the Sanatana $#ternal% &harma ' are associated with Bihar. Sita, the
consort of (ord )ama, was a princess of Bihar. She was the daughter of *ing anak of +ideha. The present districts of
,u"affarpur, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, ,adhubani, and &arbhanga, in north'central Bihar, mark this ancient kingdom. The
present small township of Sitamarhi is located here. -ccording to legend, the birthplace of Sita is Punaura, located on the
west'side of Sitamarhi, the head.uarters of the district. anakpur, the capital of *ing anak, and the place where (ord )ama
and Sita were married, lies /ust across the border in 0epal. It is reached via the rail station of anakapur )oad located in the
Sitamarhi district, on the 0arkatiyagan/ ' &arbhanga section of the 0orth'#astern )ailway. It is no accident, therefore, that
the original author of the 1indu epic ' The Ramayana ' ,aharishi +almiki ' lived in -ncient Bihar. +almikinagar is a small
town and a railroad station in the district of 2est 3hamparan, close to the railhead of 0arkatiyagan/ in northwest Bihar. The
word 3hamparan is derived from champa'arnya, or a forest of the fragrant 3hampa $magnolia% tree.

It was here that Prince Gautam attained enlightenment, became the Buddha' at the present Bodh Gaya' a town in central
Bihar4 and the great religion of buddhism was born. It is here also that (ord ,ahavira, the founder of another great religion,
ainism, was born and attained nirvana $death%. That site is located at the present town of pawapuri, some miles to the south
east of Patna, the 3apital of Bihar., it is here that the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh was born and
attained the sainthood of sikhism, that is became a Guru. - lovely and ma/estic Gurudwara $a temple for Sikhs% built to
commemorate his memory ' the harmandir' is located in eastern Patna. *nown reverentially as the Patna Sahib, it is one of
the five holiest places of worship $Takhat% for Sikhs.

The ancient kingdoms of ,agadh and of (icchavis, around about 5'6th century B.3., produced rulers who devised a system
of administration that truly is progenitor of the modern art of statecraft, and of the linkage of statecraft with economics.
*autilya, the author of -rthashastra, the first treatise of the modern science of #conomics, lived here. -lso known as
3hanakya, he was the wily and canny adviser to the ,agadh king, 3handragupta ,aurya. -s an emissary of 3handragupta
,aurya, 3hanakya traveled far and wide in pursuit of promoting the interests of the State and dealing with the Greek
invaders settled in the northwest of India, along the Indus valley. 1e succeeded in preventing the further onslaught of the
Greeks. Indeed, he brought about amicable co'e!istence between the Greeks and the ,auryan #mpire. ,egasthenes, an
emissary of -le!ander7s General, Seleucus 0ecator, lived in Pataliputra $ancient name of Patna, the ,auryan capital%
around 89: B.3. 1e left behind a chronicle of life in and around Patliputra. This is the first recorded account by a foreign
traveler in India. It describes in vivid terms the grandeur of life in Patliputra, a city established by *ing -/atshatru, around ;th
3entury B.3., at the confluence of the rivers Sone and Ganga.

-nother ,auryan king, -shok, $also known as Priyadarshi or Priyadassi%, around :59 B.3., was the first to formulate firm
tenets for the governance of a people. 1e had these tenets, the so called #dicts of -shok, inscribed on stone pillars which
were planted across his kingdom. The pillar were crowned with the statue of one or more lions sitting on top of a pedestal
which was inscribed with symbols of wheels. -s the lion denoted strength, the wheel denoted the eternal $endless% nature of
truth $dharma%, hence the name &harma $or &hamma% 3hakra. This figure of lions, atop a pedestal, with inscription of a
wheel, was adopted as the <fficial Seal of the independent )epublic of India $=>?5%. -lso, -shok7s dharma chakra was
incorporated into the national flag of India, the Indian tricolor. )emains of a few of these pillars are still e!tant, for e!ample at
(auriya'0andan Garh in the district of 2est 3hamparan and at vaishali, in the present district of the same name. -shok, a
contemporary of Ptolemy and #uclid, was a great con.ueror. 1is empire e!tended from what is now the 0orth 2est @rontier
Province $in Pakistan% in the west, to the eastern boundaries of present India in the north, and certainly, up to the +indhyan
)ange in the south. -shok was responsible also for the widespread proselyti"ation of people into Buddhism. 1e sent his
son, Prince ,ahendra, and daughter, Sanghamitra, for this purpose to as far south as the present country of Sri (anka
$Sinhal &weep in ancient times, and 3eylon during the British #mpire. Some historians, particularly Sinhalese, consider
,ahindra and Sanghmitra as brother and sister.

-ncient Bihar also saw the glorification of women in matters of state affairs. It was here that -mrapali, a courtesan of
+aishali $the present district of the same name% in the kingdom of the (ichhavis, attained and wielded enormous power. It is
said that the (ord Buddha, during his visit to +aishali, refused the invitation of many princes, and chose to have dinner with
-mrapali instead. Such was the status of women in the Bihari society of several centuries B.3.A

- little'known, but historically and archaeologically documented, event is worth mentioning in this conte!t. -fter his visit with
-mrapali, (ord Buddha continued with his /ourney towards *ushinagar $also called *usinara in Buddhist te!ts.% 1e travelled
along the eastern banks of the river Gandak $also called 0arayani, which marks the western border of 3hamparan, a district
now administratively split into two' 2est and #ast 3hamparan.% - band of his devoted (icchavis accompanied (ord Buddha
in this /ourney. -t a spot known as *esariya, in the present Purbi $meaning, #ast% 3hamparan district, (ord Buddha took rest
for the night. It was here that he chose to announce to his disciples the news of his impending niravana $meaning, death%4
and implored them to return to +aishali. The wildly lamenting (icchavis would have none of that. They steadfastly refused to
leave. 2hereupon, (ord Buddha, by creating a 8,999 feet wide stream between them and himself compelled them to leave.
-s a souvenir he gave them his alms'bowl. The (icchavis, most reluctantly and e!pressing their sorrow wildly, took leave
and built a stupa there to commemorate the event. (ord Buddha had chosen that spot to announce his impending nirvana
because, as he told his disciple -nand, he knew that in a previous life he had ruled from that place, namely, *esariya, as a
3hakravarti )a/a, )a/a Ben. $-gain, this is not /ust a mere legend, myth or folk'lore. )ather, it is a historiclly documented
fact supported by archaeological findings. 1owever, neither this part of Buddha7s life, nor the little town of *esariya, is well'
known even in India or Bihar.

-t 0alanda, the world7s first seat of higher learning, an university, was established during the Gupta period. It continued as a
seat of learning till the middle ages, when the muslim invaders burned it down. The ruins are a protected monument and a
popular tourist spot. - museum and a learning center' The Nava Nalanda Mahavira ' are located here.

0earby, )a/gir, was capital of the ,uaryan #mpire during the reign of Bimbisara. It was fre.uently visited by (ord Buddha
and (ord ,ahavira. There are many Buddhist ruins here. It is also well'known for its many hot'springs which, like similar hot'
springs elsewhere in the world, are reputed to have medicinal property.

Medieval history
This glorious history of Bihar lasted till around the middle of the 5th or 6th century -.&. ' the Gupta Period ' when, with the
con.uest of almost all of northern India by invaders from the middle'east, the Gupta dynasty also fell a victim.

In medieval times Bihar lost its prestige as the political and cultural center of India. The ,ughal period was a period of
unremarkable provincial administration from &elhi. The only remarkable person of these times in Bihar was Sher Shah, or
Sher *han Sur, an -fghan. Based at Sasaram which is now a town in the district of the same name in central'western Bihar,
this /agirdar of the ,ughal *ing Babur was successful in defeating 1umayun, the son of Babur, twice ' once at 3hausa and
then, again, at *annau/ $in the present state of Bttar Pradesh or B.P.% Through his con.uest Sher Shah became the ruler of
a territory that, again, e!tended all the way to the Pun/ab. 1e was noted as a ferocious warrior but also a noble administrator
' in the tradition of -shok and the Gupta kings. Several acts of land reform are attributed to him. The remains of a grand
mausoleum that he built for himself can be seen in today7s Sasaram $Sher Shah7s ma.bara.%

Modern history
&uring most of British India, Bihar was a part of the Presidency of Bengal, and was governed from 3alcutta. -s such, this
was a territory very much dominated by the people of Bengal. -ll leading educational and medical centers were in Bengal. In
spite of the unfair advantage that Bengalis possessed, some sons of Bihar rose to positions of prominence, by dint of their
intelligence and hard labor. <ne such was )a/endra Prasad, native of Ciradei, in the district of Saran. 1e became the first
President of the )epublic of India.

2hen separated from the Bengal Presidency in =>=:, Bihar and <rissa comprised a single province. (ater, under the
Government of India -ct of =>8;, the &ivision of <rissa became a separate province4 and the Province of Bihar came into
being as an administrative unit of British India. -t Independence in =>?5, the State of Bihar, with the same geographic
boundary, formed a part of the )epublic of India, until =>;D. -t that time, an area in the south'east, predominantly the district
of Purulia, was separated and incorporated into 2est Bengal as part of the (inguistic )eorgani"ation of Indian States.

)esurgence in the history of Bihar came during the struggle for India7s independence. It was from Bihar that ,ahatma
Gandhi launched his civil'disobedience movement, which ultimately led to India7s independence. -t the persistent re.uest of
a farmer, )a/ *umar Shukla, from the district of 3hamparan, in =>=5 Gandhi/i took a train ride to ,otihari, the district
head.uarters of 3hamparan. 1ere he learned, first hand, the sad plight of the indigo farmers suffering under the oppressive
rule of the British. -larmed at the tumultuous reception Gandhi/i received in 3hamparan, the British authorities served notice
on him to leave the Province of Bihar. Gandhi/i refused to comply, saying that as an Indian he was free to travel anywhere in
his own country. @or this act of defiance he was detained in the district /ail at ,otihari. @rom his /ail cell, with the help of his
friend from South -frica days, 3. @. -ndrews, Gandhi/i managed to send letters to /ournalists and the +iceroy of India
describing what he saw in 3hamparan, and made formal demands for the emancipation of these people. 2hen produced in
court, the ,agistrate ordered him released, but on payment of bail. Gandhi/i refused to pay the bail. Instead, he indicated his
preference to remain in /ail under arrest. -larmed at the huge response Gandhi/i was receiving from the people of
3hamparan, and intimidated by the knowledge that Gandhi/i had already managed to inform the +iceroy of the mistreatment
of the farmers by the British plantation owners, the magistrate set him free, without payment of any bail. This was the first
instance of the success of civil'disobedience as a tool to win freedom. The British received, their first Eob/ect lessonE of the
power of civil'disobedience. It also made the British authorities recogni"e, for the first time, Gandhi/i as a national leader of
some conse.uence. 2hat )a/ *umar Shukla had started, and the massive response people of 3hamparan gave to
Gandhi/i, catapulted his reputation throughout India. Thus, in =>=5, began a series of events in a remote corner of Bihar, that
ultimately led to the freedom of India in =>?5.

Sir )ichard -ttenborough7s award winning film, EGandhiE, authentically, and at some length, depicts the above episode. $)a/
*umar Shukla is not mentioned by his name in the film, however.% The two images here are from that film. The bearded
gentleman, /ust behind Gandhi/i, in the picture on the left, and on the elephant at right, is )a/ *umar Shukla.

Gandhi/i, in his usual /oking way, had commented that in 3hamparan he Efound elephants /ust as common as bullock carts in
$his native% Gu/aratEAA

It was natural, therefore, that many people from Bihar became leading participants in India7s struggle for independence. &r.
)a/endra Prasad has been mentioned above. -nother was ay Prakash 0arayan, affectionately called P. P7s substantial
contribution to modern Indian history continued up until his death in =>5>. It was he who steadfastly and staunchly opposed
the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi and her younger son, San/ay Gandhi. @earing people7s reaction to his opposition, Indira
Gandhi had him arrested on the eve of declaring 0ational #mergency beginning une :D, =>5;. 1e was put in the Tihar ail,
located near &elhi, where notorious criminals are /ailed. Thus, in @ree India, this septuagenarian, who had fought for India7s
freedom alongside Indira Gandhi7s father, awahar (al 0ehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had
meted out to Gandhi/i in 3hamparan in =>=5, for his speaking out against oppression. The movement started by P,
however, brought the #mergency to an end, led to the massive defeat of Indira Gandhi and her 3ongress Party at the polls,
and, to the installation of a non'3ongress government 'The anata Party ' at &elhi, for the first time. 2ith the blessings of
P, ,orar/i &esai became the fourth Prime ,inister of India. P remained the 3onscience of the anata Party and of post'
Gandhi ' post'0ehru India. 1e gave a call to all Indians to work ceaselessly towards eliminating Edictatorship in favour of
democracyE and bringing about Efreedom from slaveryE. Sadly, soon after attaining power, bickering began among the
leaders of the anata Party which led to the resignation of Shri &esai as the Prime ,inister. P continued with his call for
Etotal revolutionE $sampporna kranti%, but he succumbed to kidney failure at a hospital in Bombay in =>5>.

Subse.uent bickering in the anata Party led to the formation of a breakaway political party ' the anata &al. This political
party is a constituent unit of the current ruling coalition at &elhi, the so called, Bnited @ront. It was also from this party that
(aloo Prasad Fadav, the 3hief ,inister of Bihar was elected. The bickering continued. - new party led by ,r. Fadav was
formed as ' the )ashtriya anata &al ' which went on to rule for almost =; years in Bihar.

This was also a period when 1indi literature came to flourish in the state. )a/a )adhika )aman Singh, Shiva Pu/an Sahay,
&ivakar Prasad +idyarthy, )amdhari Singh &inkar, )am Briksha Benipuri, are some of the luminaries who contributed to the
flowering of 1indi literature, which did not have much of a long history. The 1indi language, certainly its literature, began
around mid to late nineteenth century. It is marked by the appearance of Bhartendu Babu 1arischandra7s $ a resident of
+aranasi in B.P.% drama E1arischandraE. &evaki 0andan *hatri began writing his mystery novels in 1indi during this time
$3handrakanta, 3handrakanta Santati, *a/ar ki *othari, Bhootnath, etc.% 1e was born at ,u"affarpur in Bihar and had his
earlier education there. 1e then moved to Tekari #state in Gaya in Bihar. 1e later became an employee of the )a/a of
Benares $now +aranasi.% 1e started a printing press called E(ahariE which began the publication of a 1indi monthly,
ESudarshanE, in =6>6. <ne of the first short stories in 1indi, if not the very first, was EIndumatiE $Pundit *ishorilal Goswami,
author% which was published in =>99. The collection of short stories E)a/ani aur TaareE $-nupam Prakashan, Patna,
publishers% contains an e!tended history of the origin and evolution of the short story as a distinct literary form in the 1indi
literature.

Conclusion
@or its geographical location, natural beauty, mythological and historical importance, Bihar feels proud of the assets it has
been gifted by time. -nd for its moral contributions in the fields of arts'literature and religion and spiritualism, it knows no
competitors centuries old stories related to this land are told even today. The state is the same kingdom, which once upon a
time ruled the country as well as the neighbouring countries . ,any great rulers have lived here and it fills us with a sense of
pride when we think of Bihar as the 7*armabhumi7 of Buddha and ,ahavir. Bihar, to liven up the glorious tale of which land,
words fall short.